Update: 2-27-2016 It was reported today via the LA Times, the hospital paid $17,000 in bit coins so they got a deal it seems, or the amount reported initially was too large? They are up and going again and had tech folks help them through it.

I’m surprised it took so long to get out as it happened a week ago. It’s been down for a week and the FBI is involved as well as the Los Angeles police. Some patients are being turned away.

9000 bitcoins is the price demanded to give the hospital back the “key” codes to open the system back up. 911 patients are being diverted to other hospitals.

The hospital seems to be keeping it pretty quiet and I guess really what else can they do as paper back up files come out as they always do in times when the EHR goes down.

This disruption is raising havoc with getting access to all the patient information needed at times. Radiation and Oncology has been shut down and they are not allowed to turn on their computers.

A Southern California hospital was a victim of a cyber attack, interfering with day-to-day operations, the hospital's president and CEO said.

Staff at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center began noticing "significant IT issues and declared an internal emergency" on Friday, said hospital President and CEO Allen Stefanek.

A doctor who did not want to be identified said the system was hacked and was being held for ransom.

There is no information that any patient or employee information was compromised, but the hospital called in computer forensics experts, and the FBI and the LAPD to investigate.

The hospital's emergency room have been sporadically impacted since Friday, Stefanek said.

The unnamed doctor said that departments are communicating by jammed fax lines because they have no email and that medical office staff does not have access to email.

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Dark Arts of Mathemical Deception

Professor Charlie Siefe of NYU, a mathematician debunks clinical trials, and few other items to where data is spun and fools you, every day example, hear about the perfect butt algorithm and more. These are probably some things you have never thought about but again after listening to what he has to say, it’s time to think about being skeptical. Here’s a radio show that also talks about the same topics.

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